Japan's SoftBank Group says its first-half net profit jumped four and half times from a year ago. That's as its investments in tech stocks jumped and it sold off assets to shore up its finances.

The company said on Monday that net profit in the April-September period came to about 1.9 trillion yen, or about 18 billion dollars.

The head of the atomic bomb survivors' group in Hiroshima, Tsuboi Sunao, says the news that the treaty will take effect is a big step forward.

Tsuboi said the treaty will not lead to the immediate abolition of nuclear weapons, but it will still be a major step towards achieving that goal.

A Japanese civic group has urged the government to consider more options for the disposal of radioactive wastewater stored at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The Citizens' Commission on Nuclear Energy, which offers advice on the country's nuclear policy, held an online news conference and issued a statement on Tuesday.

A Japanese organization for protecting the rights of entertainers has asked the government to institute a mental health care system for people in the entertainment industry.

The Entertainers' Rights Association made the plea in a statement entitled "Suicides by Entertainers." It was posted on the group's website on Sunday.

A group of lawmakers from Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party says it will urge the government to step up the function of its control over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

Japan controls the islands. China and Taiwan claim them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law. It says there is no issue of sovereignty to be resolved over them.

A Japanese classical music promotion group has measured how droplets spread during a performance, saying that the findings will help concerts return to how they were before the coronavirus pandemic.

The group made up of orchestras and music-related organizations conducted an experiment at a laboratory last month on 12 types of instruments including the trumpet and the French horn.

A Japanese sumo wrestler has been ordered to sit out several matches in the ongoing tournament after he was found to have had a meal with a few other people.

The current sumo tournament is the first since the coronavirus outbreak to let spectators into the arena.

Japanese business giant SoftBank Group found about 0.4 percent of people tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in a survey it conducted. Having antibodies means that the person has contracted the virus in the past.

The group released the preliminary results of the survey in a live-streamed event on Tuesday.

Japan's SoftBank Group is expecting an annual operating loss and net loss for the first time in 15 years.

The company says turmoil in the financial markets amid the coronavirus pandemic has hit the value of its investments.

Japanese telecom giant SoftBank Group announced on Monday that it expects to post a huge loss for fiscal 2019, which ended in March.

The group forecasts an operating loss of 1.35 trillion yen, or about 12.5 billion dollars.

Keyakizaka46 member Nagasawa Nanako will graduate from the group on March 31. 

According to Keyakizaka46's official website, after Nagasawa put in her request for graduation, the staff talked it over with her, and accepted her decision. Nagasawa also updated her blog explaining that she wanted to "take a step toward her dream" before turning 23. She stated, "These four years are irreplaceable memories in my life. I feel sad that I won't be able to see my fans after I graduate... However, I will do my best to see everyone again!" 

A nonprofit group is offering telephone consultations for foreign workers in Japan whose livelihoods are at risk due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"Posse" provided consultations in English and Japanese on Sunday afternoon.

SoftBank Group is selling assets worth up to 4.5 trillion yen, or about 41 billion dollars. The Japanese IT giant will use the money to buy back its shares and reduce debt over the next 12 months.

Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son says the move will strengthen the firm's balance sheet while significantly reducing debt. The coronavirus pandemic caused the group's share price to fall by half in the past month.

A final group of passengers and crew members who disembarked from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship finished their quarantine on Sunday. They will now be allowed to go home.

All passengers and crew members had left the ship moored at Yokohama Port by March 1.